Hate speech is on the rise across Europe, jeopardising social cohesion and putting human rights under threat. In the Western Balkans, hate speech particularly targets members of vulnerable groups, who have already been affected by stigma and discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic. To counter this phenomenon, the European Union and the Council of Europe launched in December 2020 a new campaign for the Western Balkans – “Block the hatred. Share the love.”

Considering the epidemiological situation, the campaign will take place entirely online, through dedicated Facebook and  Instagram pages: “Block the hatred. Share the love.” and will be ongoing in the years to come. Civil activists, journalists, students and all those who think that love can fight hate, are invited to be part of this campaign by following and sharing the posts, by using their messages to respond to various forms of hate affecting their private and community life or that of family members, friends or any other individuals.

The No-Hate Speech Ambassadors, prominent public figures from the Western Balkans, will actively take part in the campaign

 All relevant information, events and material can be found at the campaign main webpage.

 Full launching video in English 

 

 Facts and figures on forms of hate speech in the Western Balkans

The campaign gets closer to the followers and enables them to find out more about existing hate speech patterns in the region, as well as more about certain social groups that are particularly vulnerable to hate speech.

The newly released series of factsheets identify the most common forms of hatred targeting vulnerable group in the region: against the Roma community, religious groups, persons with disabilities, migrants, women and girls, LGBTI persons and youngsters.

Each factsheet provides statistics of groups and individuals affected; it highlights persisting challenges and good practices, including references to relevant and applicable European standards; and provides hints on the ways forward.

English version

Other languages

Follow the campaign and join us in our efforts to ensure that love will always prevail in our society.

The campaign is implemented under the action on “Promotion of diversity and equality in the Western Balkans”, that is a part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”, implemented by the Anti-Discrimination Department of the Council of Europe.

Videos in other languages

 Albanian
Full video
Trailer

 Bosnian/Montenegrin
Full video
Trailer

 Macedonian
Full video
Trailer

 Serbian
Full video
Trailer

 English
Trailer

Join the campaign !

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